I’ve got so many dvds on my shelves that I bought after seeing the movie once, but then never ended up watching again. Some of them are even still in the cellophane.
This is one of those films, and last night I decided it was long overdue a second watch.
Equilibrium (2002)
If you haven’t seen it, it’s a great action/sci-fi/thriller starring Christian Bale (The Dark Knight trilogy), Sean Bean (National Treasure), Taye Diggs (House on Haunted Hill), Emily Watson (War Horse) and Angus Macfadyen (Braveheart) among others.
This is what it’s about:
In an oppressive future where all forms of feeling are illegal and therefore suppressed with a drug called Prozium II, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system and state.
I’ve had a real urge to watch this film again recently. I really enjoyed it when I watched it for the first time a year or so after it came out and I honestly don’t know why I haven’t watched it again till now.
Still, it was great to find that it’s just as good as I remember, if not better.
Some of the CGI looks a bit dated now (still better than the Star Wars prequels though) which is to be expected, and the “gun kata” stuff seems a little comical at certain points but it’s actually held up really well, probably due to the futuristic style of the movie.
In terms of style it feels a bit like a cross between The Matrix and John Wick, but it has a refreshing originality about it as far as the story is concerned.
Unfortunately it’s yet another one of those films that seems to have been forgotten about which is a shame because as sci-fi movies go, this is one that’s definitely worth a watch.
Christian Bale is superb in this movie! His performance is so convincing that you really believe you’re watching a man experience emotions for the very first time. The scene where he sees the sun rise and feels the heat from it through the window and the one when he hears music for the first time are just brilliant!
Interestingly, it absolutely tanked at the box office, making only $5 million of its $20 million budget back and it was panned by critics. Once again though, and proving that film critics wouldn’t know a good film if it came up and kicked them in the arse, this movie has since earned a respectable 7.4/10 rating on IMDb which is not only well deserved but shows that there are a lot of people out there who appreciate how good it is.
If you like action and sci-fi and fancy watching something that’s a bit different to what you’d normally expect from those genres, I highly recommend giving this a watch.
It’s available to rent on Amazon Prime for £2.49.
Seen it? Let me know what you think. 👇
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